Jon Stetzen, a designer at the Brooklyn based studio Standard Motion, is now distributing some of his awesome limited edition concert poster prints through Insound, my favorite online indie music retailer (and force behind the “Save the Album” campaign). Stetzen, along with other great artists/designers like Scott McPherson and Cole Gerst, only has a few up for grabs (for bands such as Cold War Kids and Sufjan Stevens), and they all look like great quality, reasonably priced prints (about $13-20 each). I’m crossing my fingers that the plan is to keep adding to the selection– right now there’s only 19 to choose from– because buying a band’s posters and music at the same time sounds like a killer one-stop shopping opportunity.

I love the posters but I’m confused about the real intentions behind the Insound “save the album” campaign. As my band, Gang of Four, contemplates the future of music delivery, the last thing I’m thinking about is the nostalgic notion of the ‘album.’ I have no desire to sit down and repeat the labours that we endured recording Entertainment! all those years ago. Better to post the occasional new song along with a video to the internet for free and let our fans download them and make their own collection or ‘album.’ Insound sells CDs and vinyl albums, music fans seem to want singles and special edition remixes for free – who exactly is demanding that the album be saved?

Carmel

I do understand some of your points (and it’s especially interesting hearing that perspective come from a member of a band), but I’m still very passionate about the “save the album” campaign. My take on the majority of (good) music is that it’s comparable to a novel; much like in the instance of a good book, you can’t take a “chapter” from an album and consider it to fufill the mission of the entire work. While not all artists compose an album to be a compehensive collection of songs feeding off the emotion, etc., of previous/future tracks, some do, and I tend to side with those musicians simply for the fact that really good musicians ARE capable of making an album that’s a story in itself. There’s always room for a hit, and always room for a youtube video or free download, but, ultimately, I see little future for bands who tell their stories song by song… where will the fans go when the hit dies? A one hit wonder is a one hit wonder, which is fine for dance floors and frat houses, but we need the album in order for longevity… what do you think?

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I'm a frequent-flyer-mile-collector trying to visit every country in the world, sushi addict that loves omakase. Founding Partner & Chairman at Undercurrent and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

Since 2004 this site has been a place for me to share highlights from art, culture, technology and global trends that I care about.